Breast cancer: 'You just never think it's going to happen to you'

Two mothers talk about being diagnosed with breast cancer. One heard the news on the same day she found out she was pregnant; the other was told she needed to undergo an operation on the day her son was due to start school

Breast Cancer Ireland Patient Supporter Ciara Jones from Clare with 4 week old baby Luke and Sinead Kennedy (RTE Presenter and Very Pink Run Ambassador), at the launch of Breast Cancer Ireland’s Very Pink Run which will take place on the grounds of Munster Technological University in Bishopstown, Cork, on Sunday 8th October 2023. Picture: David Keane.

Lisa McGrath loves nothing more than taking a stroll by the water near her home in Kilkee, Co Clare, with her husband Fergal and their two children Katie, six, and Harry, eight.

It’s the same area she frequented during lockdown exercise breaks, the children racing along on their scooters. But covid stands out for Lisa for another reason: It was during the pandemic that she discovered a small change on her right nipple.

“I decided to keep a close eye on it,” says Lisa, “but two weeks later, it was still there, and it was making me uneasy. I knew I needed to get it checked out, so I rang my GP straight away, and in fairness, the minute I showed her, she made an appointment with a consultant.”

A lump was discovered, and the then 36-year-old was sent to the breast clinic in Galway where she underwent an examination, a biopsy and mammogram. 

“A week later, I got a phone call to say they had my results,” she says. “I travelled to the hospital with my husband, and the team there broke the news. I immediately started bawling when the nurse told me the date of my operation. Not because of the cancer, but because it was going to be my son’s first day in primary school.”

Lisa McGrath from Clare, at the launch of Breast Cancer Ireland’s Very Pink Run which will take place on the grounds of Munster Technological University in Bishopstown, Cork, on Sunday 8th October 2023. Picture: David Keane.

Lisa underwent a lumpectomy and Harry started school, but before Lisa started her radiation treatment, she needed further scans. Something showed up. “They did a spine biopsy and that’s when they brought me in and told me that the cancer had spread to my bones and was incurable.”

Her first response was to ask her doctor how long she had to live.

“But the oncologist said he didn’t know and that it really depended on how my body responded to treatment.”

Her sister, a palliative care nurse, was an invaluable source of support. “She was able to put my mind at ease because she’d worked with patients who’d lived up to 20 years on medication to keep their cancer at bay. That’s the advantage of modern medicine. With every day that passes, there’s more and more amazing research being done.”

Lisa McGrath and her husband Fergal with their children Katie and Harry

Making memories

Three years on, Lisa travels to Galway once a month for her treatment — medicine and regular blood tests. Her cancer is hormone-driven, so she also takes oestrogen blockers. Her son Harry is now preparing to go into second class. It’s his first Holy Communion year, and Lisa has recently resumed her job as a garda, albeit on reduced hours.

Every year, over 3,500 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Ireland. Lisa is one of those women behind those statistics, as was one of her four sisters who recently finished her treatment for breast cancer.

That’s why all five sisters, will be taking part in the Very Pink Run this October 8. The event takes place in MTU in Cork for the first time due to the demand from the breast cancer community in Munster. Some 78 thousand people from over 40 countries will come together to raise funds for ground-breaking cancer research.

Proving that age is just a number, Ireland’s oldest lady, Mairin Hughes aged 109 years old joins Daniel O’Donnell at the launch of pictured at the launch of Breast Cancer Ireland’s Very Pink Run. Pic: Marc O'Sullivan

A large group of well-known people have already signed up for this year’s Very Pink Tribe, including Sinead Kennedy from RTÉ, Elaine Crowley from Virgin Media Ireland, and Cork Rose Kate O’Shaughnessy, alongside singer Daniel O’Donnell, whose wife Majella underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2013. The inclusive run is aimed at casual strollers, keen walkers, joggers, and seasoned runners and is open to all age groups, families, friends, and solo participants who can participate in either a 10km or 5km course. Lisa says she’ll bring the kids and make a day of it.

“For now, it’s all about making memories and trying to do whatever I can to raise awareness. Hopefully, a cure will come from this. In the meantime, I try to make the most of every day with my smallies. My outlook has changed because of all of this. Now, when I’m wondering if I should buy the shoes or not, I absolutely do. My new motto is to do more of what you want. That’s how I live every day now.”

Breast Cancer Ireland Patient Supporter Ciara Jones from Clare with her 4-week-old baby son Luke, at the launch of Breast Cancer Ireland’s Very Pink Run, which will take place on the grounds of Munster Technological University in Bishopstown, Cork, on Sunday 8th October 2023.

Out of the blue

For 34-year-old Ciara Jones, the most startling part of her diagnosis was that she didn’t notice anything was wrong. “The only thing I had was a lump and I’d had it in the same place as one I’d had as a teen, which I’d been told was a cyst. But I went to the GP and decided to get it checked and he referred me to the breast clinic.”

The mum of three from Newmarket in Co Clare says she thought no more about it. She received a letter and went in for her examination. “They brought me in, and I remember the nurse saying she’d need to get someone else. Then a doctor came and said they’d have to get someone else. I thought the way they were escalating things was a bit strange — it set off alarm bells. They didn’t give me a diagnosis that day, but they did tell me to prepare for the worst.”

The day Ciara got her diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma, she also found out she was four weeks pregnant. It was “the most intense day,” she says.

“I was completely in shock. You never think it’s going to happen to you.”

Doctors hoped they could wait until she was 12 weeks pregnant before carrying out a mastectomy, but the tumour had grown by the time she got to eight weeks. A week later, she underwent surgery, starting chemotherapy at 20 weeks.

“Because I was so sick with the pregnancy and nausea, it was actually a good distraction. But naturally, there was the fear factor about the effects on the baby,” says Ciara.

Luke was healthy when he was born three months ago.

Medics have told Ciara that she’s technically cancer-free, and her current chemotherapy treatment is preventative.

Her health has recovered to the point where she’s well enough to join thousands of families impacted by the disease across the country in the Very Pink Run.

The funds raised will be channelled directly into three areas this year, explains Aisling Hurley CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland. “Firstly, it will go into continued investment for research regarding metastatic disease progression, an ever-challenging area in need of support.

“Secondly, investment in driving speed of scientific discovery from research settings into clinical trials so as to develop newer, more effective targeted therapies into the future.

“Lastly, the funds raised through this year’s event allow us to support ongoing breast cancer research fellowships and scholarships, specifically focused on the sub-type cancers that pose the greatest challenges and which require continued investment — all of which helps us to fulfil our ultimate goal of transforming breast cancer into a treatable illness that can be maintained long-term.”

Ciara, who worked as an administrator before she got sick, believes this type of research is what kept her alive.

“I bless myself every day because of the early detection methods and the expertise of the medical team who treated me. If they didn’t have that funding or that expertise behind them, I don’t think I’d have had it out on time, to be honest. The research is just so important. If this was 15 years ago, I don’t think I’d have been as lucky as I am.”

• Ciara and Lisa are Breast Cancer Ireland ambassadors for the Very Pink Run, which takes place at Leopardstown Race Course in Dublin on September 30, in Kilkenny Castle Park on October 1, and for the first time in Cork at MTU on October 8. The event is open to all ages and fitness levels. All funds raised will support Breast Cancer Ireland’s research into metastatic cancer and awareness programmes